Letters to a Stranger
by claryfraying
Summary: Modern Day AU. Both Katniss and Peeta are in a pen-pal group, in which the writers are randomly selected and then paired together based on compatibility of friendship. Only with Katniss and Peeta, it has turned into something more. With one living in Seattle and the other in England, how will these two ever meet the one their hearts truly desire? Rated M for later chapters.


_Summary: Both Katniss and Peeta are in a pen-pal group, in which the writers are randomly selected and then paired together based on compatibility of friendship. Only with Katniss and Peeta, it has turned into something more. With one living in Seattle and the other in England, how will these two ever meet the one their hearts truly desire?_

_Rating: T-M for later chapters_

April 10, 2010

_Dear My New Pen Pal_

_Hello! My name is Peeta Mellark. I'm guessing you're my pen pal, yes? Well, I'm really excited, especially since you're so far away. I mean, not that it's a bad thing I just mean_

_Hi, Pen Pal. I know we're not supposed to give out names, but you can just call me P. I live in England. I own a bakery. My best friend is a party animal and the complete opposite of me. I love to stay home and create new recipes and run with my dog, Ellington. I hope that through these letters that I can find a new friend in you._

_ Sincerely,_

_ P._

Katniss doesn't even know how she got wrapped up into this bullshit in the first place. Gale said it would be good for her, something to distract her from my break up with Cato, from getting her sister into college, from concentrating on her mother.

And Katniss still thinks it's a load of bullshit.

The pair was passing by a sign up booth for a pen-pal service on the way to their favorite watering hole, _The Hob_, one night when Gale pushed Katniss by the shoulders to the booth and made her sign up. Now Katniss has to deal with some pansy ass from England who probably drinks tea in a garden and reads in his stupid British accent to his book club about the English Enlightenment.

The first letter came today.

At first, Katniss was a little surprised about the briefness of the letter. This came all the way from England, and this was all he had to say? Is it weird that she's reading his words in a British accent? Probably. When Katniss finally sits down in her hole-in-the-wall apartment and locks up for the night, she pours myself a glass of cheap wine from the fridge and sits down at her desk chair, wrapping herself up in my thread-bare robe, and grabs a piece of paper from the printer tray. The letter is not much to go off on and frankly this guy seems boring as hell, but better late than never, she guesses.

_Dear P.,_

_Nice to meet you. Is it weird that I kind of expected you to have a bakery? Maybe it's the foreign thing. I also have a dog. Her name is Hazel, and we run every morning in the woods. I work in the biology lab at Seattle University, helping find ways to preserve our wildlife. It sounds boring, but I like it. To be honest, I didn't sign up for this shit. My friend made me because I just got out of a relationship. Write back or whatever._

_ K._

Peeta didn't know what to expect when he got his first letter from his pen pal. A cordial greeting, a pleasant "let's get to know each other?" No, he got a sloth of a pen pal, who didn't even do this voluntarily. And who was she to automatically assume that he was going to try something? In all honesty, he just wanted a tie back to the states. Although he loved England that the expanse and experience it gave him for his bakery, he missed being back in Seattle with his dad and brothers. He missed the Washington rain and the smell of the humid air hitting the pavement. So in actuality he was quite surprised that his pen pal was from Seattle herself. Upon seeing the letter, Peeta grabbed the closest piece of paper and pen and began to scribble down in his loopy handwriting:

_Dear K.,_

_I'm glad that I finally have a so-called name to your face. I am quite sorry to hear that you were "forced" into this situation. My apologies if I bore you of the tales of my English side life. I find it amusing yet endearing that you expected me to own a bakery. Maybe it is the "foreign" thing as you call it. What type of dog do you have? Ellington is a black lab who likes to take up every available sitting space in my living room. What's your favorite hobby? Your work doesn't sound boring; you sound very passionate about it, which makes it interesting to me. I would like to hear more about it sometime, that is, if you would like to continue our rendezvous. I am sorry that you might have been under the impression that I would try something with you, when in all truth I am just simply looking for a friend. Hope to hear from you soon._

_ In friendship_,

_P._

Upon getting P's second letter, Katniss's nerves started to relax some. Maybe this guy isn't so bad. Maybe he's gay. His sense of humor had Katniss's mouth twitching up at the corners every now and then, especially with the dog. Hazel is a black lab, too. She was surprised to find that he is genuinely interested in hearing what type of work she does. Normally people, even Gale, say that it's a pointless and useless job because people cut down trees anyways to make paper and the world would be a better place if her job wasn't so "save the planet." P sounds like a nice guy.

Why not?

_P.,_

_ I would just like to…um, apologize for my behavior in my previous letter. I would like to say that I am happy to see that you are actually genuine in your words. Hazel, my dog, just happens to be a black lab as well. She's a comfort to me in my apartment. And thank you. I mean, thank you for actually caring about what I do. Maybe I will tell you more about it, in letters to come. As for my favorite hobby, I like to do archery. It's in the woods, it's quiet, and stress- relieving. What's your favorite thing to bake? Maybe I can buy it and try it out. Why is your dog's name Ellington?_

_ K._


End file.
